An activist group is petitioning against what it calls a privatization proposal for the municipal Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

The Our Water Campaign, a coalition affiliated with the Pittsburgh United nonprofit, announced the signature-gathering effort Wednesday outside Peoples Natural Gas headquarters on the North Shore. The gas utility has said it’s exploring whether it can partner with PWSA, which is rebounding from repeated service failures and years of lackluster upkeep.

“Private corporations will always put profits over people,” said Sara Innamorato of Upper Lawrenceville, a state House Democratic nominee in the November general election. She was among several speakers — including city Controller Michael Lamb — who appeared at the Our Water press conference.